I Just Created A New Aquarist!

[creeker]

I now know her name is Christelle and I know she is soooooooo hooked on the hobby that she's gonna be like the most of us and in 10 - 15 years time, when someone asks her where did it all start for you..... she's gonna say.... "I do not know who he is, but there was this old man that lived up the road from us".....

I'm pretty sure she's never going to forget your name!

 

[Binge]

Is realy a combination of things for me. I won a gold fish when I was very little at a fair My father always had tanks when I was a boy as well so he knew how to keep my new friend alive. I had that gold fish for probly 5 years in a bowl that had a small airstone based filter. he was like an inch long when I got him and 5 or so when he passed. Then my father let me keep a betta in his 5 gallon hex. I had him for a little over 3 years till him and an angel decided on mutualy assured destruction.

But the thing I remember more then anything else was our neighbors tank when we lived on the navy base in florida. They had 2 150 gallon tanks in thier living room and they had full grown oscars. The fact that a fish that size could live in a tank amazed me.

Basicly I always have been around and loved fish. It just took somthing as unique as my blue lobsters to push me into the hobby as an adult.

 

[Athena]

Aww, that was a lovely thing you did for that little girl, Ludwig! I hope her parents thanked you for all your efforts. Will they help her with doing water changes?

My first memory of having fish was when I was about 7 or 8yrs old. My dad bought a little 1 ft tank and 3 goldfish (Alecos, Peris & Lakis lol). I remember the water often looked yellow and sometimes dad would empty the whole lot out and put fresh water in but it soon turned yellow again...and we had multi-coloured gravel in there with a little arch that they would swim through. This was back in the 60s and it was a bit of a novelty - he wouldn't have known back then that you shouldn't keep them in a little tank and that water changes should have been weekly, with a filter in place etc...

I even made the same mistakes myself in my 20s when I was given one of those large, round glass bowls as a present and put a shubunkin in that. Luckily for that fish, a few weeks later I invested in a 2ft tank with undergravel filter... and things escalated from there over the years.

The good thing is that now we have the internet which has given people the chance to do things properly, rather than just relying on advice from shop staff in their LFS.


Regards, Athena

 

[fluttermoth]

Lol, that sounds so familiar, Athena!

We started out (early 70s) with a plastic, bow fronted tank; must have been very small as I can remember my mum carrying it out to the kitchen sink for cleaning

We also had multi coloured gravel and a couple of plastic plants; no light or filtration, just a total strip down every few weeks; no dechlorinator either...

Thank goodness times have changed; none of our fish lasted long; I remember being so upset when my black moor (Oggle Boggle) died after only a few days

 

[the_lock_man]

The sad fact is that you just wouldn't be able to get away with doing that in the UK without someone questioning your motives, or worse, labelling you a pervert.

It's nice to see there's somewhere left in the world where good old fashionbed kindness is still appreciated.

Good on ya' Ludwig.

 

[Shovelman]

The sad fact is that you just wouldn't be able to get away with doing that in the UK without someone questioning your motives, or worse, labelling you a pervert.

It's nice to see there's somewhere left in the world where good old fashionbed kindness is still appreciated.

Good on ya' Ludwig.

Or in the United States.... That creeper stereo type is strong here as well, but obviously this isnt the case! Just a nice showing of kindness!

 

[zuulan]

The sad fact is that you just wouldn't be able to get away with doing that in the UK without someone questioning your motives, or worse, labelling you a pervert.

It's nice to see there's somewhere left in the world where good old fashionbed kindness is still appreciated.

A very good point!

 

[Fishy friend2]

I think when I first started I had a male Betta named lily RIP. A couple y,ears after lily died I go a 14 gallon tank from my dad and that's how it started for me

 

[lucasluke]

A few years ago now!

I was with my dad round his friends house and he had a huge marine tank. It had all the clownfish in it, corals and it looked great. When I got home I asked him if I could get a small tank and I did. It was around 14 litres lol and I put 2 goldfish and some other fish I didn't know the name of. It had no filter and wasn't cycled.

 

[Fishy friend2]

A few years ago now!

I was with my dad round his friends house and he had a huge marine tank. It had all the clownfish in it, corals and it looked great.

cool. I love reef tanks they are awesome

 

[micko]

I had various goldfish as a child but none of them lived very long due to knowing nothing about their care. Water changes weren't very often I'm sad to say.
My introduction to tropicals were around the same time, my aunt had a 4ft tank and the only fish I remember in it were neons, I was really taken by their colours. I moaned and moaned about tropicals but was never allowed to get any.
I often helped with water changes though and the neons were breeding regulary.
I never really bothered with fish up until around 14 when my best friends dad had a HUGE tank, I'm unsure of the exact size but it was at least 15ft long by 7ft wide and 5ft in height. He had a redtailed cat, and two plecs which I now believe to be common ones by the size of them.
I still didn't bother with them up until around six years ago and the hobby has since turned into an obsession.